18th October, 2021
Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State, has earned a victory over the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately release his international passport.
Ekwo declared the seizure by the service as illegal, unconstitutional, and an infringement of Odili’s fundamental rights.
The judge also ordered the Nigerian Immigration Service to tender an apology to the former governor and restrained the NIS from harassing and intimidating him from leaving the country or moving freely within the country.
Justice Ekwo added that the seizure of the former governor’s passport, was a punitive act and no citizen should be treated in such a manner, irrespective of status.
The former governor had filed a suit against the immigration service challenging the seizure of his passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on 20 June 2021, upon his arrival into the country.
The service, however, told the court that it acted based on Mr. Odili’s presence on an EFCC corruption watchlist.